The Middle East may be a tumultuous region where nations are engaged in a constant struggle to maintain their borders and their identities, but sometimes the biggest problems have nothing to do with ideology or religion. On a day to day basis, the Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel (SCMCI) attends to the medical needs of the infants, children, and adolescents of the entire Middle East, whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. It is the only facility of its kind in the area. In its self-described role as "a bridge to peace," SCMCI is dedicated to the inherent right of every child to live a healthy life in a peaceful world.

So what do children in need of medical care in the Middle East have to do with food? Besides the healing properties of a bowl of chicken soup, one of the fund-raising and outreach efforts of the center has been an exchange of chefs from the United States and Israel coordinated by Foundation Angel Michael Ginor. It began with visits to Israel by American culinary luminaries Daniel Boulud, David Burke, Rocco DiSpirito, Rick Moonen, Jean-Louis Palladin, Don Pintabona, and Douglas Rodriguez. And now it's their turn to reciprocate the hospitality they received by welcoming a team of chefs from Israel, each of whom will be hosted by one of their American counterparts. SCMCI will be the beneficiary of a $1,250-a-plate dinner prepared by these Israeli chefs on June 7 at the St. Regis Hotel, while we will be the beneficiaries of a similar dinner served the night before at the Beard House. This is the sort of preview-both charitable and delicious-that the Beard Foundation's all about.

The Israeli team will serve as a fine delegation of culinary diplomats. It consists of Israel Aharoni, considered Israel's ambassador of fine food, who has made an international name for himself. After studying Chinese cooking in Taiwan, Aharoni opened his first restaurant, Yin Yang, in Tel Aviv over 17 years ago. By 1998, he was famous as the chef/owner of Golden Apple (now closed), which was selected by Gault Millau as the top restaurant in the country. As a mentor to chefs, he's been called the "father of them all," by the Jerusalem Report. And he has recently published Street Foods of the World.

Aharoni will be joined by Ezra Kedem, who studied at the California Culinary Academy and the French Culinary Institute in New York before opening Arcadia in a historic house in Jerusalem. Last year, Gourmet selected Arcadia as the best restaurant in Israel. Their compatriot Yaron Kestenboum is a CIA graduate who trained with Alain Ducasse in Monaco and Georges Blanc in Vonnas before establishing Food Arts Catering in Tel Aviv, perhaps the most important caterers in Israel's "city that never sleeps."

Moroccan-born Shalom Kadoshis the head of Jerusalem's Chefs Association. He got there after training with Jean and Pierre Troigros in Roanne and Ducasse in Monaco. Kadosh coordinated the Jerusalem 3000 Celebration and edited a Hebrew encyclopedia on cooking and baking, activities he managed to find time for despite busy days and nights as the executive chef of the Jerusalem Sheraton Plaza Hotel.

Jerusalem-born Eyal Shani opened Ocean in his home town in 1989, but it is the restaurant's new incarnation in Herzliyah, with its open kitchen and central wood-burning oven that has put him on top of Israel's culinary world. In the words of Daniel Rogov at Link, "Shani is constantly reinventing himself and his dishes." Mika Sharon will round out the group. Sharon studied at the French Culinary Institute and worked at Tribeca Grill, before opening her own SoHo hotspot, Mika, in 1994. Two years ago, she transported her New York restaurant savvy to Israel, opening the acclaimed Mika in Tel Aviv.

We all know Michael Ginor of Hudson Valley Foie Gras well. Cookbook author, chef, and generous benefactor of charities such as SCMCI and the Beard Foundation, Ginor is the glue that has held this culinary exchange together. Helping it go down well will be a selection of wines provided by Golan Heights Winery. Israel's most famous winery, Golan produces wines on par with fine wines from around the world.